


Red on his Cheeks

by fandomshaveruinedme



Category: Shades of Magic - V. E. Schwab
Genre: AU, Gen, I did this for you Luna, Sick Kell, Sickfic, They're both young children
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-10
Updated: 2020-07-10
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:41:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,348
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25191064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandomshaveruinedme/pseuds/fandomshaveruinedme
Summary: I was asked to make a sick Kell fic with good brother Rhy so here we are.Kell wasn't feeling the best when he woke up that morning, and being outside in a rainstorm surely didn't help anything.
Relationships: Kell Maresh & Rhy Maresh
Comments: 4
Kudos: 14





	Red on his Cheeks

**Author's Note:**

> I love this book series so much, and the fact that someone requested to have me write them a Shade of Magic fic was amazing, and made me super happy, so here we are.

Honestly, Kell didn’t even feel that terrible when he told Rhy that, yes, he would go explore the nearby forest with him. He had awoken with a small headache and a slight scratch in his throat, nothing more. It was simply allergies, Kell reasoned with himself. Besides, there was no way he was going to pass up an opportunity to go on an adventure with Rhy, especially when he basically jumped into Kell’s bed that morning, his body shaking with energy. 

Kell was twelve, and although Rhy was a year younger than him, Kell looked up to his brother, who was officially royalty, and not just an adopted magic user. Rhy was everything Kell wasn’t. Rhy had smooth tan skin and his dark hair curled around his eyes and framed his face. Rhy looked just like the people of Arnes, he fit in, meanwhile, Kell did not. Kell stood out everywhere he went. He had pale skin that had a spattering of freckles across his cheeks and bright auburn hair. He was tall for his age, and towered over the other children whenever him and Rhy would go play. Even his eyes were different. One was blue, which wasn’t normal in Arnes, but it was at least an eye color. The other eye was swallowed by inky blackness, marking Kell as somebody rare. 

Kell ignored the slight pain in his head, and drank some water, in the hopes of chasing the dryness away from his throat. Quickly, he threw on a black coat, choosing to forgo the red coat symbolising him as a member of the royal family. Carefully, he pulled some hair down to cover his black eye, and made his way into the hallway where Rhy was waiting excitedly. Kell hoped he would begin to feel better soon.

The only problem with the allergy theory was that by the time noon had rolled around, Kell had not gotten any better. In fact, no matter how many times he drank from the small water skin at his side, the cool liquid did nothing to alleviate the burning that was slowly overtaking his throat. Glancing upwards, Kell noticed dark clouds rolling in and darkening the forest around the two brothers. He cleared his throat, 

“Rhy, maybe we should head back? Those clouds look like they’re moving in fast. Maybe it’s going to rain.” 

“Come on, Kell, I just want to go a little further pleeaaassseee.” Kell looked at Rhy, and with a sigh motioned for them to continue on. 

Soon, wind began whipping through the trees, and pulling the leaves off branches. The sun had completely disappeared behind dark grey clouds, and the forest had grown dark. The boys were nowhere near the castle, when Kell felt the first drop of rain splash onto his forehead. 

Rain was coming down in great bursts by the time Kell spotted the castle in the distance. He had grabbed Rhy’s hand a while ago, and had not let go as both boys raced through the storm. 

By the time that Kell had managed to drag Rhy back to the castle, both boys were soaked. Water dripped off of them, and gathered at their feet in a puddle. Hair was plastered to Kell’s forehead and he shivered as he peeled off his wet jacket. 

Rhy was ushered back to his room and ordered to take a hot bath, while Kell was told to go back to his room and do the same. Kell felt even worse than he had that morning, his throat now making it painful to swallow and his head pounding at the slightest noise. The thought of drawing a hot bath seemed like an impossible task at this point, so instead, Kell peeled off all of his clothes, leaving only his underthings, and curled up in his bed. Almost instantly, the boy was asleep. 

********************

Kell has been asleep for hours, Rhy thought, while impatiently waiting for his brother to wake up. Today, he wanted to go see all the different bugs that come out after rainstorms, but every time he went into Kell’s bedroom, his brother was still asleep, only a mop of red hair peeking out from under the blanket. 

Eventually, his impatience won, and Rhy carefully tiptoed over to his brother's bed, and poked him on the cheek. When nothing happened, he squeezed Kells cheeks, but again, Kell didn’t stir. Worry started creeping through Rhy, and he grabbed Kell by the shoulders and shook, but Kell did nothing, his eyes remained closed and his body limp.

Rhy screamed.

The guards found Rhy curled up around Kell, tears streaking down his face, and rushed to find the King and Queen. 

Soon, the room was filled bustling and hushed whispers as Master Tieren examined the unconscious boy. Rhy had to be forcefully pried away from his brother, his hands refusing to unclench from Kell’s sweaty body. 

“It’s a fever sire,” Tieren said, turning to the royal family. “ Make sure that a cool cloth is kept on his forehead, and try to keep him hydrated. I’ll gather herbs to hopefully aid in his recovery.” With that said, the older man bustled out of the room, leaving the family to grieve in peace. 

“It’s my fault,” Rhy whispered, his face buried in his mother's skirt. “ Kell said that it was going to rain, and I made us keep going, I wanted to make it to the creek.” Tears began to flood from Rhy’s eyes, his face scrunched in pain. “Wh-what i-if Kell doesn’t wake up? Wh-wh-what if I’ve killed him?” 

“Rhy,” the queen said, pulling Rhy down onto her lap as she sat on a chair near Kell’s bed. “This didn’t happen just because of the rain, dear. Kell was obviously a little sick before that, and the rain just made his illness worse. Before you know it, Kell will be laughing and playing with you again.” She reached over and pushed a sweaty lock of hair away from Kell’s face before caressing his cheek. 

“He’s a strong boy, Rhy, we’re going to do everything we can to make him feel better. 

Rhy didn’t leave Kell’s side for days. He sat vigil beside his brother, watching the slow rise and fall of his chest. The queen came in often and sat with Rhy, reading him stories while making sure the cloth on Kell’s head remained cool. The king came in less often, mostly just glancing in the room at the boy, trying to see if there was any change. 

Rhy watched as Master Tieren poured another mixture of herbs down Kell’s throat, the boy limp against the Masters chest. Kell had lost weight, making his face look gaunt. Almost like a skeleton, Rhy thought. The only color Kell had to him, was the bright red that coated his cheeks. Kell looked dead, besides the shuddering rise and fall of his chest. 

Each day, Rhy found himself sitting besides his brother, holding his hand and begging for him to wake up. 

It was almost two weeks before Rhy noticed a change in Kell. He was sitting in his normal spot, when he noticed Kell crack open his eyes. It was slight, and he didn’t seem to focus on anything, but it was enough for Rhy to go screaming for his parents in excitement. By the time he got back to Kells beside, he was asleep. 

*****************

It was an effort for Kell to pry his eyes open that morning. He was so tired. Maybe he could just go back to sleep and wait for one of the guards to wake him up? That’s almost what Kell did, but then he heard a strangely familiar voice in the background. 

“Come on Kell you’ve been asleep long enough. I’m sorry I made you walk through the rain, please I need you to wake up.” 

Rhy a name sprang into Kell’s mind. It was his brother, Rhy, how could he forget Rhy? Slowly, Kell opened his eyes, and was greeted by the face of his brother, with the biggest, brightest smile that Kell had ever seen.

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this at work on a slow day (I sit in a booth directing traffic) so I didn't edit it as much as I should have, but this is a dead fandom so like not many people are going to read this anyway. Let me know if you liked it though to all you people that do read it!


End file.
